Twisted Hands of Fate
by Cowardice Remaining
Summary: In modern day Tokyo, Kagome Higurashi is a criminal investigator, and Sesshoumaru a forensic scientist. Brought together by the brutal murder of one Nishimura InuYasha, two mangled souls struggle to unravel the mystery of his death and find his killer.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the InuYasha characters, because if I did, Sesshoumaru would be the star!

_The Twisted Hands of Fate:_

Chapter 1

Kagome clenched her teeth and fought desperately not to glance at the digital clock on her bedside table, tears pricking her eyes.

The funeral would have started by now. Kagome pushed away the guilt and sorrow that clawed at her frayed heart. It wasn't her fault, she was doing this for him. This was all for him.

The only reason she still lived was for him.

'If I attend his funeral,' she reasoned weakly with herself, 'they'll know I have an emotional connection to the case, and I won't be able to follow it.' Her eyes hardened as she thought this, her fists clenching unconsciously. She had to follow the case, she _needed _to. Maybe, if she caught his killer, she could move on with her life, but not before then. She needed closure, and she needed to get it herself. Still, as her determination wavered and she squinted to see the clock out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't dispel the gnawing grief that ate at her. He was gone, never to grin mischievously at her, or to laugh at her clumsiness, or to kiss her in that rough, passionate way ever again. He was gone, and she wasn't even at his funeral.

She wasn't even there to say goodbye.

To her distinct relief, the shrill wailing of her phone stopped her from slipping into another wave of angst. She stumbled weakly to the phone and answered with a soft click, struggling to keep her voice even and void of any distress.

"Hello? Higurashi residence." Her greeting was answered by a deep baritone, reserved, yet soothing and calm.

"This is Taisho Sesshoumaru, I am a forensic scientist at Mount Fuji hospital. Am I correct in saying that you are one of the investigators following the death of Mr. Nishimura?" The voice inquired smoothly.

"Yes."

"We are going to examine the body and perform the autopsy now, it would be prudent if you were present." Kagome felt her heart skip painfully. They were performing the autopsy. She would have to see her lover lying lifelessly on a cold metal table. She would be forced to watch him be examined by strangers, touched and violated… She was jolted from her reverie by Dr. Taisho's voice.

'…Gurashi-san? Can you still hear me?"

"Oh! Yes, yes, of course. I will be there in five minutes." She stuttered.

"Thank you. Until then."

"Bye." She shakily pressed the phone to the receiver and exhaled unevenly, fighting to control her frantic heart. Hastily, she ran a comb through her tangled inky tresses and shrugged on her jacket. The weather outside was bleary and frigid, much like her mood.

Then, Kagome ambled quickly to her rusty Toyota Corolla, shuffled in, and pulled out of her driveway to reunite with her dead lover, Nishimura InuYasha.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or its characters. STOP REMINDING ME!

The Twisted Hands of Fate:

Chapter 2

As Kagome pulled slowly into the parking lot of the hospital, a shiver of anticipation blossomed down her spine. She wasn't excited to examine InuYasha, to see his pale, unmoving body, but there was a perverse keenness that fluttered restlessly in her heart as she thought about it. She wanted to prove she could take it, that she was strong enough to handle seeing him, stripped and almost dehumanized, on that table, and she promised herself that she would not break. She would prove to him she was strong enough. So, when Kagome strode through the hospital doors, her stride long and her head held high, she showed none of the anguish she felt. She could do this. She _would _do this.

That was where she met him. He stood ramrod straight beside the door, waiting for her arrival. His hair was strangely long for a male, reaching down to his lower back, and the glossy silver mane cascaded down his back in a high ponytail. He wore pristine white clothes and medical gloves were stretched over slender, nimble hands. He had the fingers of a piano player. When he heard her footfalls on the crème marble floors, and he tilted his head to look at her.

She almost took a step back from the intensity of his amber gaze as it collided with her stormy grey one. Those eyes, those glittering, turbulent eyes, reflected all the horrors that he had to face every day. They reflected the pain and sorrow that came from working with the silent dead; the horribly murdered, the suicide victims, everyone. When looking into those eyes, Kagome felt a strange mixture of pity and respect. He stepped forward to shake her hand; it was warm and comforting.

"A pleasure to meet you, Higurashi-san." He greeted in his low rumble. Kagome nodded. "If you will please follow me, we can begin the examination." She trailed after him cautiously, her eyes on his pearly, snow-white hair as it danced serenely behind him. He had a fluid, smooth gait, resolute, yet leisurely. As she absently thought this, he slid open a large oak door, shoed her inside, and locked it with a soft click. Hesitantly, ever slowly, Kagome turned to face the table, frightened and feeling her determination wavering.

He was there, most definitely, but he was covered by a thin, white blanket, and only his feet peeked from the far end. She almost fainted with relief. Finding new strength, Kagome followed Dr. Taisho to meet the two other people who would be helping them with the case. In the corner stood a woman and a man, both raven haired and lean. The woman stepped forward first.

"My name is Sango Takahashi. Very pleased to meet you." She chimed confidently as she put out her hand. Kagome shook it and nodded before turning to the man. He grinned at her before bowing.

"Miroku Fujikawa, at your service." His voice was honeyed and light. Kagome got the impression that this man couldn't take anything seriously. Again, she nodded. Dr. Taisho beckoned them over to the side of the table, where he turned to brief them.

"Nishimura InuYasha was found in his closet after he was murdered, I have yet to discover approximately his time of death, because I thought it would be best if all the investigators were present before I did so. I plead caution to all of you, as I have had some investigators vomit on the body before, so if this is too much for any of you to handle, I encourage you to step back." With that, he gently took one end of the blanket and slid it off the body, his eyes never leaving ours. Gulping, Kagome slid her eyes to the table, and felt a wave of terror crash down upon her. In the reports, it had only said that InuYasha had been 'brutally murdered,' and gave no further indication of his condition. 'That,' Kagome thought dizzily as she fought to keep control over her trembling legs, 'is an understatement.'

InuYasha was hardly recognizable under the deep slashes and bruises that ravaged that once handsome face. His chest had a horrifying gash in the middle, where, apparently, a knife had been plunged into it. His right arm hung at an unnatural angle, and his fingers were twisted horribly around, as if he had been tortured. His legs were slashed and bloodied, as was his neck. Kagome could do nothing but stare, her eyes wide and streaming with tears, and she felt her legs give way.

"Higurashi-san!" Dr. Taisho caught her before she crumpled to the floor. His voice was calm, but distant, as though she was hearing him from miles away. "Bring me that chair." She heard him order quietly. Miroku dragged the chair with a low scraping sound against the marble flooring and Dr. Taisho bent to place her into it delicately. Her blurred vision slowly returned as she tried to slow the beating of her heart.

When she at last was breathing evenly, albeit shakily, Dr. Taisho helped her from the chair and back to the body.

"Are you well now, Higurashi-san?' He inquired politely. Kagome nodded and forced her gaze back to InuYasha.

"Very good." Dr. Taisho clapped his hands together and plunged into his report, unaware of Kagome's inner turmoil.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: Woot! I recently claimed ownership of InuYasha and all its characters...Then I lost the papers. So now I'm InuYasha-less. Boo hoo.

The Twisted Hands of Fate:

Chapter 3

"As you can see, his fingers are twisted backwards at an unnatural angle; this indicates that he was tortured before he died. I have also concluded that the wounds on his face and body are all pre-mortem." Dr. Taisho glanced at Kagome through the corner of his eye before turning back to the body. "He was probably in a lot of pain." Sango and Miroku were staring at the body, their faces pale and their lips both drawn into thin lines. Dr. Taisho's voice, however, was cool and professional as he blew through his report, and the stunning amber eyes that now looked down at the brutalized victim on the table showed no sign of any horror, nor pity or remorse. Kagome felt a surge of anger at his cool, unfazed attitude, but swallowed it as soon as he began again. "By the look of his body, he was killed roughly a week ago, so his neighbor found him three days after he was murdered. The police scanned the crime scene and took pictures, which I now have in my possession. We are free to visit the crime scene at any time we wish. Now, they say that they have not found anything to indicate who the killer is, but we all know that they don't know where to look." This gained an amused snicker from Miroku, and Sango pinched him lightly and glared solemnly at him, reminding him to act professionally. "Tomorrow, we are all taking a visit to Mr. Nishimura's mother for some questions. Everyone should clear their schedules accordingly." No one objected, so Dr. Taisho went on. "Very good. I will hand out to everyone copies of the pictures from the crime scene. You can take them home and inspect them, but I suggest you don't show them to anyone else. This is an investigation, so I trust you will all act that way." He locked eyes with Miroku, who shuffled his feet and kept his gaze leveled at the ground. Dr. Taisho strolled to his desk, rummaged in his pocket for a minute, held up a shiny silver key, and unlocked the top drawer before delicately fingering the pictures. He handed them out to each of his partners, and Kagome quickly shoved them in her pocket- she wasn't ready to look at them now. "You may all go." He dismissed them with a wave and turned back to his desk, his hair shifting softly as he moved. Kagome stayed behind and watched the retreating forms of Sango and Miroku before she spoke.

"Dr. Taisho?" He cocked his head to indicate that he was listening and grunted. "How long have you been working in this field?" He peered up at her through black, rectangular glasses.

"Twenty five years." He replied shortly, obviously not grateful that Kagome was asking questions that were even remotely personal. Kagome nodded exaggeratedly, as if he had answered a very important question.

"Do you normally act so coldhearted around brutally murdered patients?" She hadn't really meant to say it, but it had really irked her that he had shown no emotion to the body as he had given the report. He straightened as she said this, and pinned her with a stare that sent shivers down her spine, as if he were examining her soul. For some reason, she worried if he disliked what he saw there.

"Do you normally faint at the sight of every victim, Higurashi-san?" He retorted smoothly as he flicked a strand of hair from his shoulder. Kagome bristled at his tone, though she knew she was being overly-defensive.

"No, but I don't act like an emotionless fish who feels not even a speck of remorse, either." Her voice shook with rage and her teeth clenched and unclenched unconsciously as she spoke.

"What I feel when I am examining a patient is none of your business. I would very much appreciate it if you would leave." Kagome could hear the tense curtness in his deep tenor, and knew she had said too much and pressed too far.

"I-I'm sorry, Dr. Taisho. I meant no offense. I suppose I'm just shaky and caught a little off guard right now. Gomen nasai." She bowed lowly before meeting his eyes. They were cold and distant, as if his mind were in a different world.

"I will see you tomorrow at his mother's house. Eleven o'clock on the dot, Higurashi-san." He didn't accept her apology, but his voice was minutely softer than before. Kagome nodded and said goodbye before shambling out of the hospital and into her car.

She had a little background check to do on Dr. Sesshoumaru Taisho.


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or its characters. Nag.

The Twisted Hands of Fate:

Chapter 4

Kagome found herself almost _eager _to return home and find out more about Dr. Taisho; what she had seen of him thus far made him a complete enigma to her. So, without her knowledge, her foot pressed a little harder than necessary on the gas pedal as she pulled from the hospital parking lot, and during the drive home, she was always at least five miles over the speed limit.

As she opened the door to her house, it hit her how empty it was; silent. She hadn't had any pets, because InuYasha had always protested that 'he wanted her all to himself.' At the time, she had thought it was romantic, but in hindsight, it simply seemed silly. Shaking her head guiltily, Kagome padded her computer and jammed the power button with a little more force than intended. As the computer awoke with a groan, Kagome went to the kitchen to brew some coffee (Coffee, in the afternoon, Kagome?) and stirred absently as it cooled. Maybe she _would _get some pets. After all, she had always been a dog person….

Broken from her reverie by the pleasant jingle from her computer as it completed the last of its booting, Kagome zealously plopped down on the fold out chair and immediately double-clicked the internet icon. It popped up quickly (Thanks to the new high-speed internet browser she had tried out last week) and Kagome felt a surge of excitement. Quickly, she brushed it away, wondering vaguely why she was so interested. 'Dr. Taisho is an interesting person' she thought dismissively. So, she started with his website, looking for a biography or anything to tell her about his past.

There was nothing.

Frowning disappointedly, Kagome began to read a number of cases Dr. Taisho had solved in the past, and found herself more than slightly impressed with him. He always solved the case, and it seemed that he went above and beyond each time to make everything he did perfect.

"Anal, perfectionist prick." She muttered bitterly under her breath, annoyed, for some reason, that he was so accomplished. Still, she was so engrossed in her research that by the time she flicked a glance at the clock, it was past eleven. Kagome yawned widely and stood up.

'I'll find something tomorrow.' She assured herself as she stretched and lurched to bed. As she pulled the comforter over her body, she slid her eyes shut and had the first deep sleep in weeks.

She was awoken by a banshee.

No, wait, that was the phone as it split her resting eardrums and made her jump three feet in the air, giving a shrill yelp. Frantically, she stumbled to pick it up, and stubbed her big toe on the coffee table in the process. Hissing incoherent curses under her breath, Kagome jerked the phone from the receiver and answered darkly, through gritted teeth.

"Yes?" She snapped, though she immediately regretted her harsh tone.

"Higurashi." Kagome recognized the glossy, calm voice, and noted that he didn't use the honorific. "Do you know what time it is?" Kagome's eyes widened and she turned to glare at the clock. 12:30. She shrieked loudly into the phone with surprise.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry, Dr. Taisho, I forgot to set my alarm clock last night and I was up late doing things and-."

"Spare me the excuses, Higurashi. Just get over here. You have the address I gave you yesterday, I presume?" He interrupted impatiently. Kagome nodded and bit back another hurried apology.

"Yes, I do."

"Good. Then I expect you over here in five minutes." He informed her, his voice clipped. Promptly, he hung up.

Without bothering to comb her hair or apply her makeup, Kagome yanked her coat off the rack and hastily sprinted out the door and into her car. Her foot slammed on the gas, she pitched jerkily out of her lot, and sped out into the street.

Kagome rapped quietly on the large oak door of Ms. Nishimura's home, her head hung low and her gaze held shamefacedly at the ground.

It occurred to Kagome that, though she had been together with InuYasha for about a year, she had never actually met his mother. He had always put off the meeting, telling her that she was busy, or away on a cruise. Now, it seemed strange that she had never met the woman who brought the man she loved into the world, and she found herself both excited and dismaying. However, it was Sango who opened the door, and without a word, she pushed Kagome rudely into the living room, where she sat down on the couch.

As she surveyed the house interestedly, Kagome could tell where InuYasha had inherited his lack of decorating skills. His mother's house was bland, cheaply furnished, and there were still packing boxes piled in the far corner, as if she was only living here temporarily. Her brow furrowed, Kagome turned to face InuYasha's mother, who was sitting in a small fabric chair and whispering quietly to Dr. Taisho. She looked very young, to Kagome's surprise. She had wrinkles, yes, but they weren't defined, and she looked to be in her early fifties. InuYasha must have been born while she was in her late teens. Thin, inky hair, streaked with silver, was pulled up in a sloppy bun high on her head; her face was angular and sharp, only made more pointed by a pair of wiry half moon glasses resting on a long, sloping nose. Her eyes were a slate grey, narrowed and calculating.

Finally, Dr. Taisho seemed to finish his conversation with Ms. Nishimura, and he unbent before looking Kagome directly in the eyes.

"Shall we begin?"


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I do not own InuYasha or its characters.

The Twisted Hands of Fate:

Chapter 5

"Ms. Nishimura, I know what you must be feeling, so if any of these questions becomes too difficult for you to answer, I completely understand." Dr. Taisho's tone was soothing and indulgent as he took a seat on a ledge next to the fireplace. Ms. Nishimura nodded solemnly, her eyes hard and resolute.

"Yes." Dr. Taisho nodded, satisfied, and began his questioning as he folded his arms into his lap and crossed his legs.

"First off, would you tell us about your son? Was he the sort of person to make enemies?" Ms. Nishimura appeared to meditate on that for a moment.

"Well, InuYasha was always a bit loud and belligerent. I suppose some people could take offense to his stand-offish demeanor, but I can't recall anyone he told me about who would go as far as to kill him for it." She told them softly, her eyes hazed over with memories.

"Did he have a girlfriend? If he did, did they fight often?" Kagome felt her heart speed up drastically, and she almost slapped herself. Of course! How could she have forgotten? His mother, though she had never met Kagome before, must have known about their relationship. Kagome was about to change the subject; or do anything that might distract Ms. Nishimura, but it was too late.

"Yes, actually. My son was dating a wonderful young woman, he was about to propose to her when he…" She trailed off, her voice choked. Dr. Taisho put a sympathetic hand on the old woman's frail shoulder.

"It's alright. Just tell me the young woman's name." Kagome braced herself, but a sinking feeling had seeped into her chest. She would be taken off the case, and she would never be able to-.

"Kikyo."

Kagome's heart stopped, her mouth parted in shock; time seemed to freeze spitefully. Did she just say 'Kikyo?' No, she must have heard incorrectly, it _had _to be a mistake!

"What is her full name?"

"Kikyo Yamamoto." Kagome's hands began to shake discreetly in their place on her lap. Her breathing was shallow and almost labored; all she could hear was the pounding of her own heart and the blood rushing in her ears. It hadn't been a slip of the tongue.

Kagome's heart split.

From her blurry, unfocused vision, Kagome saw Dr. Taisho eyeing her through the corner of a tawny eye before his gaze flicked back to Izayoi Nishimura.

"I see. And did Kikyo and your son bicker frequently?" Ms. Nishimura shook her head fervently.

"No, no, no, no! InuYasha and Kikyo were one of the best behaved couples I had ever seen! I mean, of course, they fought occasionally, as all couples do, but they were perfect for each other, soul mates, if you will. And I was so looking forward to having a daughter in law…" With every word the aging woman uttered, Kagome felt herself slipping further into depression, confusion, despair. If InuYasha had been dating Kikyo, then Kagome's entire relationship with him was a lie!

'No, no.' Kagome reasoned bleakly with herself. 'You knew InuYasha! He would never do that to you…He loved you!' But as she thought it, Kagome knew it was false. This would explain everything; it all fell into place. Why InuYasha had never taken her to see his mother, why he always seemed nervous when he went out I public with her, why he had never mentioned marriage, even after two years of dating…

After that, Kagome didn't have the will, nor the strength, to listen anymore. She tuned out the conversation that unfolded in front of her and wallowed in her self-pity, in her agony, and in her worthlessness. What part of their relationship had been a lie? Had he really even loved her at all? Or was she just his sex-toy that he was content to throw away at any time he pleased? When he had lain in her bed those blissful nights, snuggling close to her; whispering, and caressing, was he really picturing Kikyo instead of her?

"...Igurashi? Would you like to ask any questions?" Dr. Taisho's voice broke her inner turmoil and Kagome's head snapped up, her eyes wide and alert.

"Oh! No, no. I have all the information I need." She griped weakly, waving her hands and giving a grimace of a smile.

As they stood to leave, Kagome could feel Dr. Taisho's calculating stare on her back and she struggled to refrain from whipping around and screaming at him to mind his own business. When they finally stepped out of the door, Dr. Taisho turned.

"Oh, one last thing, Ms. Nishimura. Do you have any contact information for InuYasha's girlfriend? It would be most helpful if we could get a hold of her." Izayoi Nishimura's eyes widened minutely and she paused from her place by the door.

"Dr. Taisho, Kikyo is dead."


End file.
